NASA almost sent alcohol into space, abandoning plans at the last second

After astronaut requests, NASA bought Paul Masson Rare Cream Sherry for one Skylab mission and packaged some for testing on a reduced gravity aircraft. In microgravity smells quickly permeate the environment and the agency found that the sherry triggered the gag reflex. Concern over public reaction to taking alcohol into space led NASA to abandon its plans, so astronauts drank the purchased supply while consuming their pre-mission special diet.[11]

When the space station Skylab fell to Earth in 1979, it landed in Esperance, Western Australia. The Shire of Esperance fined NASA $400 for littering, which went unpaid for 30 years until a radio host raised the money and paid it on behalf of NASA.